Yellowhammer Times

There were 10 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Alabama during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 33.3% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 954 deaths in the state. 27.1% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 18.9% were from cancer and 7.7% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 10.2% of deaths were from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Studies show doctors and medical examiners may underreport Alzheimer's disease and dementia-related conditions as the underlying cause of death on death certificates, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Once infected, older adults with dementia are likely to develop a more severe and dangerous illness. The diseases which make an older adult more vulnerable to COVID-19 are age-associated chronic conditions, according to the Bright Focus Foundation.

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Heart disease	259	252
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	180	176
Alzheimer's disease	53	43
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	51	55
Cerebrovascular diseases	46	56
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	39	21
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	34	16
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	26	23
Diabetes mellitus	23	27
Influenza and pneumonia	10	15

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	97	82